Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Starting Over

That's what it seems to me, as if I'm starting over. My blogging life took a sabbatical this summer as my real life and times kept me from keeping up my online journal.

I've been on small planes, jets, and in boats...I've ridden in cars and on bicycles....I've traveled throughout Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Utah and Michigan...just about the only thing I haven't done since my last post is leave the country.

My folks came to visit and brought my two niece's, neither of whom had ever seen mountains before; we hunted for sapphires, watched bison in rut, fished the Alberton Gorge and explored Missoula together. My annual trek to the shores of Lake Michigan was especially memorable. I rode in RATPOD, a one day 157-mile bicycle ride in the Big Hole to benefit Camp Mak-a-Dream. I traveled to Portland, Moscow (the one in Idaho), Park City and Bozeman for ultimate Frisbee tournaments and got to spend the 4th of July at Flathead Lake...a pretty busy summer.

On the professional front I was elected to the President-Elect position of the Montana Medical Group Management Association (woo hoo) and also was selected to be the state representative for the American College of Medical Practice Executives. I'm still waiting for all the checks to start rolling in.

Western Montana has been hit hard once again by wildfires, unfortunately the most devastating fire (about 25 miles west of where I live) was man made. The only east-west interstate in the state was shut for three days as the fires raged around Alberton and west to St. Regis. The smoke and smell traveled to Missoula. I drove through the scene at 4:00 AM the morning the highway was opened and it was the most devastating and eerie scene I've ever witnessed; the fires were fully visible from the highway. Of course all this is miniscule in comparison to the devastation of the American gulf coast now occurring...my heart goes out to the peoples of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

About Me

I work, I play, I am a dad & husband, a son & brother. I am addicted to Ultimate Frisbee, although the addiction is waning with age. I believe music moves souls and influences life. I love to travel and meet new people. I am a great pen pal. I've driven across the USA, traveled to Europe and Asia and frequently get lost in my imagination. I have life stories beyond belief. I advocate for parks & trails. I love my family. I have a fondness for spices. As a kid, my occupational fantasies were President, Sultan, Olympic basketball player, and explorer. I detest litter and mean people. Patience and forgiveness are works in progress.